Slushing scraper



Aug. 18, 1970 R. P. ARSENAULT- SLUSHING SCRAPER Filed Nov. 24, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Inventor Roba-r1,` P rsencml' Mome ug. S, 1976 R, P. ARSENAULT 3,524,507

' SLUSHING SCRAPER Filed Nov. 24, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 MMIV lUnited States Patent O 3,524,507 SLUSHING SCRAPER Robert P. Arsenault, Joliette, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Abex Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 685,641 Int. Cl. E02f 3/60 U.S. Cl. 172-26.5 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A scraper is assembled from a back plate, a pair of attaching arms and a locking shoe without the need for bolts or other fasteners, specifically -by hooks at the rear of the arms which couple with apertures in the back plate and forward ends of the arms in a sliding wedge t with a separable shoe.

This invention relates to a scraper of the so-called slushing type used in mining and other operations Where rocks, earth or muck are to be scraped from a far point to a near point.

Scrapers of the fkind involved comprise a back plate, which presents a scraping or digging edge, and a pair of arms joined thereto. The back plate is quite large and may weigh as much as a ton or more. The arms at their forward ends converge to enable a haul line or cable to be attached thereto.

The objects of the present invention are to enable the arms to be attached to the 'back plate without the need for bolts or other fasteners; to produce nevertheless a rigid, effective coupling of the arms to the back plate; to join the arms at their forward ends in a rigid, effective fashion without bolts and to accomplish this with a onepiece locking shoe; to reduce maintenance; and to enable the back plate to be coupled to the arms in either of two working positions.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled inthe art without departing from the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a scraper embodying my invention;

FIG. 1A is an exploded view, in part fragmented, illustrating the manner in which the arms will be hooked t the back plate;

FIG. 2 is a perspective View, partly fragmented, illustrating the manner in which the locking shoe fits the arms;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 2, of another embodiment of shoe;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, fragmented, of the back plate;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one of the arms;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the assembled scraper; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

The scraper of the present invention, FIG. 1, is identified by reference character 10 and includes a back plate or scraper blade to which are detachably secured a left and right-hand arm 21L and 21R. The arms con- 3,524,507 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 ICC verge forwardly, as viewed in FIG. l, and at their free forward ends are joined by a locking shoe 25 which presents an eye '26 to which will be secured a cable for moving the scraper in a forward direction. The back plate 20, FIGS. 5 and 7, is provided with a plurality of rearwardly projecting plates or flanges 27 presenting openings as 28 to which a back haul cable can be attached. The mode of operation of a scraper of this general kind is well known and need not be described herein.

As will be apparent in FIGS. 1 and 4, the back plate 20 is of convex-concave form and in the operative position illustrated in FIG. 1 the lower edge of the back plate 20 is of solid or uninterrupted form to present a straight scraper edge SE. However, as will be explained in the description hereinafter, the back plate 20 may be inverted so that the operative edge becomes the edge DE, FIG. 1, which presents a plurality of laterally spaced digging teeth T. In all instances of operation, the -concave side of the back plate will face forward.

The present invention is primarily concerned with a unique manner of associating the arms to the back plate so that neither separate fasteners nor specialized tools need be used in relating the arms operatively to the back plate. As shown in FIG. 7, the arms 21L and 21R, when operatively related to the back plate 20, geometrically present a Wishbone appearance. Thus, each arm includes a generally straight rear portion 30 and a forward, inwardly curved or bent portion 31 terminating in a forward end 32 of such construction as to enable the attaching shoe `25 to interfit wedgingly therewith.

The rear portion 30 of each scraper arm as 21R and 21L includes a ,dependent portion 35, FIGS. 1 and lA. The inner side of the depending portion 35 at the rear of each arm is formed with a hook or claw 37, FIGS. 1A and 6, and this hook is adapted to seat in a corresponding aperture 37A formed at the mid-portion of each lateral edge or side of the back plate 20.

As will be apparent from FIG. 6, each hook 37 is L- shaped and includes a leg 38 extending inward of and generally at right angles to the dependent portion 35 at the rear end of each of the scraper arms. The hook 37 includes a rearwardly extending toe 39 at right angles to the leg 38, the relationship being such that each hook or tang as thus constructed, FIG. 1A, will fit into the related aperture 37A when the related scraper arm is appropriately manipulated as hereinafter described.

IReferring to FIGS. 1A and 4, it will be noted that the openings 37A in the back plate in effect are hooded or shrouded, top and bottom, by forwardly projecting lugs 41 and 42 integral with the back plate. In fact, the opposed faces 41F and 42F of the lugs 41 and y42 define the limits of the length of each aperture 37A, corresponding in dimension to the height H, FIG. 1A, of the related hook 37. The lugs serve as guides for and during the course of seating the hooks 37 when coupling the scraper arms to the scraper back plate, and also serve to rigidfy the arms and absorb stresses during operation of the scraper.

Each aperture or socket 37A is bounded at the outside by a strap 44, and the forward faces of those straps are rounded to facilitate movement of the hooks 37 into the aperture.

As noted above, the back plate is of concave-convex form, and preferably increased rigidity and maintenance of position between each scraper arm and the back plate is achieved by channeling the inside face of the dependent portion 35 of each arm to present a curved channel or groove 46, FIG. 1A, into which will neatly lit the curved lateral side edge of the back plate when an arm 21L or 21R is operatively related to the back plate, as shown in FIG. 7.

Stop lugs 50 and 51 are formed on the attaching arm adjacent the channel 46 on the upper and lower sides of the hook 37, and in fact serve in part to define the channel 46. These stops will bear on the front side of the back plate 20, above and below the related apertures, as will be apparent in FIG. 1.

In coupling the separate arms to the back plate, FIG. 1A, the arms initially extend generally parallel to the plane of the back plate. Then, with the hooks 37 aligned with the apertures I37A, the dependent portions 35 are moved inward toward one another, as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 1A, to the extent that the hooks or tangs 37 -ft over the straps 44. At this stage of assembly, the leading ends of the hooks 37 fit neatly between and are confined by the ledges 41 and 42. Then, the two arms 21L and 21R, FIG. 1A, are turned toward the observer, to bring the forward ends 32 of the arms inward toward one another, and in the course of such movement, the hooks 37 turn 90 into the apertures 37A. At the same time, the lateral side edges of the back plate y move into the curved channels 46. The first stage of assembly is complete When the stops 50' and 51 abut the forward face of the back plate 20 as it is viewed in FIG. 1A, and in this connection it may be noted that the side edges of the back plate 20 are rounded in a convex fashion at 53 and 54, FIG. 4, so as guide and neatly accommodate the stops 50 and 51.

As noted above, the convergent forward extensions 31 of the scraper arms each terminate in an end portion 32, and referring to FIG. 2, the two end portions of the scraper arms are to be coupled by the locking shoe 25, the latter being a separate part of one-piece construction. Specifically, each forward end of the related scraper arm is formed with an inner flat surface 60, and referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, these surfaces 60 are tapered so that the two considered together are slightly divergent in a forward direction so as to afford a wedge-shaped opening. The locking shoe includes a wedge-shaped medial rib 62, which widens in a forward direction, and this rib is adapted to t between and bear on the corresponding divergent surfaces 60, which is to say that the shoe 25, FIG. 2, will be moved forwardly in the course of the last stage of assembly so that the wedge-shaped rib 62 thereof fits between the spaced forwardrnost end portions of the scraper arms.

The exterior surface of the forward extension of each scraper arm is formed with an outwardly projecting ledge or rib 65 tapered front to rear in elevation so that the forward end thereof FE is of greater thickness than the rear end RE. Each ri'b 65 as thus provided is adapted to fit in a related internal channel 66 formed within the locking shoe 25, there being a channel 66 on each side of the medial or central rib 62 of the locking shoe as shown in FIG. 2. The channels 66 are fully complemental to the ribs 65, and the dimensioning is such that each rib 65 wedges tightly in the related channel 66 during forward sliding movement of the locking shoe incidental to locating the rib 62 thereon between the opposed spaced surfaces 60. A full tight fit may be realized by repeated blows with a sledge hammer. Advantageously, the forward ends of the arms 21L and 21R are provided with grooves 21G, FIG. 2, in which a bolt may be fitted and tightened merely to hold together the first stage assembly while the shoe 25 is being seated.

The apertures 37A are each at the medial point of the height of the back plate. The apertures are identical and this is equally true of the hooks 37. Therefore, the back plate may be coupled to the arms 21L and 21R with the edge SE downward, FIG. 1A, or with the edge DE downward to present a different type of digging edge.

It is found that the wedge-fit that prevails between the shoe 25 and the forward ends of the arms is fully sufficient to maintain a rigid structure without resort to any securing bolts. In addition, the shoe itself adds weight to the forward end ofthe scraper, resulting in superior balance and the projecting lower portion or wall 25W of the shoe, FIG. l, protects the arms against abrasive wear during operation. The temporary assembly bolt (not shown) which may be used to properly space the forward ends of the arms at the stage of assembly, when the shoe 25 is being slid into place, is of course discarded.

Moreover, the forward pull cable when attached to the cable eye 26 assists in maintaining a tight action between the wedge shoe and the convergent forward ends of the arms that are intertted therewith. On the return stroke of the scraper, by the cable (not shown) attached to any one of the rearwardly projecting flanges 27 on the back plate, the force is not such as to induce loosening.

Disassembly is the reverse of the assembly stages described above, and in this connection it may be noted that the tapered rib 62 on the shoe aids in spreading the arms 21L and 21R during disassembly which is to say that the rib `62, FIG. 7, when struck with a sledge which delivers a rearward blow tends to split the scraper arms and Iwedge them apart.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications are available insofar as concerns the precise intert between complemental wedge-shaped surfaces presented by the locking shoe and the complementally configured forward end portions of the scraper arms. A modification in this regard is illustrated in FIG. 3 where the scraper arms 21L and 21R are identical to what has been described above with the exception of the configuration at the forward ends thereof to specifically accommodate a slightly different shoe 75. In this instance, the inside faces at the remote free ends of the arms 21L and 21R are provided (each) with a laterally extended wedge-shaped projection 76. Each projection is of greater height at the forward end 76F than at the rear end 76R. The opposite sides of the shoe 75 are channeled at 76C to be fully complemental to the projections 76, so that again when the free ends of the arms 21L' and 21R are brought into juxtaposition, FIG. 3, the shoe is simply slid forward to establish a wedge lock between the tapered projections or ribs 76 and the channels 76C.

It will be noted, FIG. 3, that the wedges 76 are T- shaped in section. This affords a pair of upper and lower channels 80 and 81 inward of the wedges 76 at the inside face of the terminal forward end of each arm 21L and 21R. The channels 80 and 81 are themselves tapered complementally to a related pair of tapered ribs or wedges 80W and 81W superimposed one on the other in vertically spaced relation at the lateral sides of the shoe 75. The opposed faces Ff) and F1 of a pair of ribs 80W and 81W will slide forward in the related channels 80 and 81 during forward forcing of the shoe 75, FIG. 3, establishing an additional wedge fit between the shoe 75 and the arms 21L and 21R.

It will be noted that shoe 75 is symmetrical throughout on all sides of the medial rib or strap 85, with the exception of course of the cable attaching eye 86 at the forward end thereof. The configuration of the free ends of the scraper arms 21L and 21R', FIG. 3, is also symmetrical, and hence the shoe 75 is fully reversible so that when worn on the underside may be reversed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that under the present invention the scraper arms at the rear are widely separated and coupled pivotally to the opposed sides of the back plate, coupling being accomplished by hook-like projections 37 on the arms fitted into sockets in the back plate allowing for pivotal movement of the arms. Preferably the arms are channeled or grooved at 46, FIG. 1A, to receive the curved side edges of the back plate which serves to rigidify the assembly, and stops as 50 and 51 on the inside of the arms bear on the forward face of the back plate serving to absorb working stresses, to limit inward pivotal movement of the arms and to tension the arms when the locking shoe is driven home.

Thus, when the shoe as 25 or 75 is interposed and wedge fitted between the forward ends of the scraper 5 arms, which are bowed inward in a forward direction, the coupling between the back plate and the rear of the arms is in effect secured in a tensioned state, which is to say that the stops 50-51 and the wedge shoe place the scraper arms themselves under tension. Forward pull on the shoe only serves to tighten the connection.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail my self of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

l1. A slushing scraper comprising, a back plate having a working edge at the bottom and a hook receiving opening at each side edge thereof, a pair of arms, one each detachably secured to the side edges of said back plate, each arm including a rear end having a hook and groove arrangement coacting with said hook receiving opening and side edge to cause the hook to detachably engage in said opening and said groove to receive the side edge when the rear portion is seated, and a forward end having a longitudinally extending wedge shaped portion, and a locking shoe having longitudinally extending wedge shaped sockets for slidably mating with the wedge shaped portions of said arms to lock the forward ends of the arms together, the wedge shaped portions on said arms and the wedge shaped sockets on said locking shoe formed to lock References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,073,338 3/1937 Durkee.

2,626,471 1/1953 Whisler 172-265 2,685,848 8/1954 Meighan et al.

2,716,824 9/1955 Francis 172-265 2,743,540 5/ 1956 Whisler 172-265 3,164,914 1/1965 Wilson 172-265 3,261,360 7/1966 Frank 24-207 X 3,340,628 9/ 1967 Dobbie et al 172-265 3,392,465 7/1968 Blyemel 172-266 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner I) A. E. KOPECKI, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 287-64 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 524, 507 Dated August 18, 1970 Robert P Arsenault It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Claims, Claim l, line 5, after "end" insert portion; Claim 2 line l, change "sliding" to --slushing-- Claim 3, line l, change "sliding" to slushing.

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